1996–97 A Group
| Season | 1996–97 | 
|---|---|
| Dates | 9 August 1996 – 1 June 1997 | 
| Champions | CSKA Sofia (28th title) | 
| Relegated | |
| Champions League | CSKA | 
| UEFA Cup | Neftochimic | 
| Matches played | 240 | 
| Goals scored | 705 (2.94 per match) | 
| Top goalscorer | Todor Pramatarov (26 goals) | 
| ← 1995–96  1997–98 →  | |
The 1996–97 A Group was the 49th season of the A Football Group, the top Bulgarian professional league for association football clubs, since its establishment in 1948.
Overview
It was contested by 16 teams, and CSKA Sofia won the championship.[1]
League standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CSKA Sofia (C) | 30 | 22 | 5 | 3 | 65 | 19 | +46 | 71 | Qualification for Champions League first qualifying round | 
| 2 | Neftochimic Burgas | 30 | 20 | 7 | 3 | 70 | 20 | +50 | 67 | Qualification for UEFA Cup first qualifying round | 
| 3 | Slavia Sofia | 30 | 17 | 6 | 7 | 61 | 23 | +38 | 57 | |
| 4 | Levski Sofia | 30 | 14 | 11 | 5 | 58 | 30 | +28 | 53 | Qualification for Cup Winners' Cup qualifying round | 
| 5 | Botev Plovdiv | 30 | 14 | 3 | 13 | 41 | 41 | 0 | 45 | |
| 6 | Minyor Pernik | 30 | 12 | 8 | 10 | 28 | 35 | −7 | 44 | |
| 7 | Lokomotiv Sofia | 30 | 13 | 4 | 13 | 59 | 47 | +12 | 43 | |
| 8 | Levski Kyustendil | 30 | 13 | 3 | 14 | 51 | 52 | −1 | 42 | |
| 9 | Spartak Varna | 30 | 13 | 3 | 14 | 40 | 41 | −1 | 42 | Qualification for Intertoto Cup group stage | 
| 10 | Lokomotiv Plovdiv | 30 | 12 | 5 | 13 | 38 | 41 | −3 | 41 | |
| 11 | Dobrudzha Dobrich | 30 | 11 | 6 | 13 | 44 | 48 | −4 | 39 | |
| 12 | Spartak Pleven | 30 | 12 | 3 | 15 | 35 | 46 | −11 | 39 | |
| 13 | Etar Veliko Tarnovo | 30 | 10 | 5 | 15 | 37 | 53 | −16 | 35 | |
| 14 | Maritsa Plovdiv (R) | 30 | 8 | 8 | 14 | 38 | 45 | −7 | 32 | Relegation to 1997–98 B Group | 
| 15 | Montana (R) | 30 | 8 | 4 | 18 | 32 | 54 | −22 | 28 | |
| 16 | Rakovski Ruse (R) | 30 | 0 | 1 | 29 | 8 | 110 | −102 | 1 | 
Results
Champions
- CSKA Sofia
| Goalkeepers | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|  Petko Petkov | 30 | (0) | |
|  Iliyan Vasilev | 0 | (0) | |
| Defenders | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|  Adalbert Zafirov | 28 | (2) | |
|  Filip Filipov | 21 | (1) | |
|  Stefan Lulchev | 14 | (0) | |
|  Zdravko Radev | 3 | (0) | |
|  Dobromir Mitov | 25 | (3) | |
|  Galin Ivanov | 20 | (0) | |
| Midfielders | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|  Anatoli Nankov | 27 | (2) | |
|  Risto Milosavov | 24 | (3) | |
|  Iliya Voynov | 20 | (4) | |
|  Ivo Slavchev | 20 | (2) | |
|  Nikolay Nikolov | 5 | (1) | |
|  Georgi Slavchev | 6 | (0) | |
|  Kostadin Vidolov* | 15 | (1) | |
|  Stiliyan Petrov | 5 | (0) | |
|  Ivan Tanchovski | 1 | (0) | |
|  Metodi Deyanov | 14 | (3) | |
|  Milen Petkov | 26 | (3) | |
|  Georgi Yordanov | 12 | (1) | |
| Forwards | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|  Ivaylo Andonov | 25 | (18) | |
|  Jair | 6 | (3) | |
|  Petar Zhabov | 22 | (9) | |
|  Martin Petrov | 3 | (1) | |
|  Dimitar Ivanov | 24 | (4) | |
|  Kancho Yordanov | 11 | (2) | |
|  Rumen Hristov* | 4 | (1) | |
|  Bozhidar Yankov | 4 | (0) | |
| Manager | |
|---|---|
|  Georgi Vasilev | |
- Vidolov and Hristov left the club during a season.
Top scorers
| Rank | Scorer | Club | Goals | 
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Todor Pramatarov | Slavia Sofia | 26 | 
| 2 |  Hristo Marashliev | Levski Kyustendil (9) Spartak Varna (11) | 20 | 
| 3 |  Ivaylo Andonov | CSKA Sofia | 18 | 
| 4 |  Geno Dobrevski | Botev Plovdiv | 13 | 
| 5 |  Mihail Mihaylov | Levski Kyustendil | 12 | 
| 6 |  Emil Mitsanski | Dobrudzha | 11 | 
|  Todor Zaytsev | Levski Sofia | ||
| 8 |  Georgi Ivanov | Lokomotiv Plovdiv | 10 | 
|  Iliya Gruev | Neftochimic | ||
| 10 |  Boris Hvoynev | Botev Plovdiv | 9 | 
|  Petar Zhabov | CSKA Sofia | ||
|  Plamen Petrov | Levski Kyustendil | ||
|  Marian Hristov | Levski Sofia | ||
|  Aleksandar Aleksandrov | Maritsa | 
- Source:1996–97 Top Goalscorers
References
- ^ "Порточанов вади пистолет, после Гочето прави кълбета" (in Bulgarian). temasport.com. 27 July 2013.